Sunday, September 26 — Today’s final 26k run before the Victoria Marathon marks a month since I had my second Durolane injection. The run wasn’t great. No, let me phrase, the run was great. The heavy rains we had overnight had passed and everyone’s spirit’s were high, both from knowing we’re two weeks away and on our last run, and after hearing that a fellow clinic member, Christina, clocked a 3:26:32 at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon this morning, knocking 20 minutes off her PB and punching her ticket to Boston. Everyone seemed to have a little extra jump in their steps. (UPDATE: Christina’s 3:26:32 was gun time; her chip time was 3:26:08.)
No, it was my hip that wasn’t great. It was a little cranky and never felt completely loose or warmed up. I spent a lot of time running and chatting with each pace group so I wasn’t hammering… though I did have a a few quick kilometres bridging the gaps between groups along the Seawall. The lecture I received from the hip after a brief stop at Lumberman’s Arch left no doubt that those intervals were a little more than it had in mind this Sunday.
Unfortunately for me, the hip is not alone right now. A tender achilles and a REALLY painful fifth metatarsal on my right foot, and a sore, almost plantar-fasciitissy arch on my left foot are all vying for my attention. Maybe the hip is just overreacting to taking the backseat in this sibling rivalry?
This first month hasn’t been quite what I’d hoped for, but I’m keeping in mind that unlike the first one, I had this injection during a pretty heavy part of my marathon training cycle and just after running a 50-miler, so maybe I expected too much. We’ll see.